Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-21
GAMES OF THE FAKIRS

GAMES OF THE FAKIRS SMALL SCHEMES THAT LOOK HON.
 EST BUT ARE DECEPTIVE.
 How the Ring Trick Wins-The Tripod
 and Gripsack NIan-Smuggled Shawls
 Which Entrap the Unwary-The Sailor
 and His Cigars.
 There are a thousand and one ways in which the unsuspecting resident or the bu- collie visitor ill New York may be relieved of his money without in the least suspecting that he is being defrauded until the opera tion has been performed. There are innu- n1erable schemes daily in operation in this city by which great and greedy army of social harpies manages to take in quite con- siderable revenue from their practice.
 Perhaps the most successful of these little games is that one generally described as "the kid glove racket" The method adopted in this game is very simple, but is nearly always successful because it works so strongly on the imagination and appeals with such peculiar force to the gullibiity which reposes in the mind of the average man. The gentleman who plies this interesting game may be met frequently on Broadway, between Four teenth and Twenty third streets, and along the Bowery. He selects a pedestrian who from his appearance may become likely victim. He walks close beside the man for @ few paces when suddenly he stoops to the ground and picks up dark object.
 "A RING IN IT."
 Naturally the curiosity of the prospective victim is aroused, and he wants to know what the young man has found. 'tPshaw, it's only a kid glove, d. itr' exclaims that individual, as he makes motion as if to throw it away. He restraints himself with start and cries: ''Theres a ring in it, by gosh! Just feel it," and the man addressed feels, while, surely enough, there it is. Then the young man draws out the ring, and, holding it at arms length, exclaims with satisfied smile, "Ain't she beauty, thought" and "she" is, if glitter and size count for any thing. To provo that the ring is valuable one he offers tho glove for inspection, and this being always of the best description nat urally excites the belief that person wear ing such an excellent glove would naturally wear a valuable ring. By this time the vic tim is in good shape, and the young man of- fers to sell the ring for $5 It is too much, tho man says.
 "Oh, well, I'm dead broke and you can have it for s2." At this price the victim buys, and he walks away with the pleasant impression that he carries bargain with him in his pocket which cost the young man who sold it just three cents. Hes learns his mistake, but seldom tells others of how neat 1y he has been scooped, and consequently tho young man who works ssthe kid glove rackeJn goes along serenely on the road to wealth.
 Any person who passes along the Bowery during the afternoon will probably notice a man who, in and out of season, wears high white battered hat, a kind of linen duster. a woolen muffler around his neck and a re- markedly red nose. He carries with him portable tripod or stand and a weather beaten gripsack which he unfolds and erects at a spot near Canal street, where there is always 0 great throng of passersby. He glances around to see that no hated Cooper" is ill sight, and then he is ready for gudgeons. His game is a modification of the three card trick, or still further illustration of the de gree to which the now you see it, now you don't act, may be carried He has 0 hole about two inches square cut in the partition dividing in two compartments of the grip sack, and in the outer partition are four or five small pasteboard boxes, something like those made to hold cigarettes.
 He picks up one of the boxes, and, pulling out its drawer, shows therein a five dollar bill Then he announces to the crowd which gathers so easily on the Bowery that he will allow anybody to draw that box who can do so by paying S1 for the privilege. The crowd is not desirous to try, when suddenly a tough young man wearing pea jacket ornamented with great mock pearl buttons, says he will try. He puts down dollar, draws box, and To-! it is the one containing the bill.
 --.- HE TRIES IT AGAIN.
 He invests another dollar, draws again, and again he is successful. The red nosed man expresses his disapproval of his ill luck, but announces that somebody must win. The young man with the pea jacket says he will not try again, as he is $S in pocket and is happy, and he disappears from the scene. By this time several men want to try their hands at the drawing-it looks so simple! The first one draws and finds his box contains cake Of soap. He tries again, with like result Nothing daunted he slaps down another dol lar for chance, but fails to get the box with tho bill
 Of course that particular box is always dropped slillfully through the little slot in the partition. Then other observers try their luck, but the result is always the same-they come out losers. When the crowd is pretty well worked the red nosed man gazes down luc SCIeeO aiu CFleS WlUu u SCaTC, ''d6r0'S a cop," and suddenly bundling up his traps he disappears down Canal street. Of course there is no "copn in sight, and if any person should follow the red nosed man he will find him in company with the young man with the pea jacket in saloon a block away, drinking milk punches while chuckling over their luck.
 The most enterprising and elaborate of all petty swindles is the ''snluggled shawln busi- ness. This is really an artistic little idea and tho man who practices it deserves to be- called a Napoleon of finance in his way. He dresses in Q uniform similar to that worn by stewards on first class ocean steamships His story never fails to make the desired impres- sion on his victims.
 Hc goes around in tenement houses during the day while the lords of creation are at work and he carries Q parcel which he de clares contains q shawl of rare value which has been smuggled from France or Timbuc- too or some place far away. Sometimes it is silk lie offers, but his makeup and tho plausible story he tells usually get him pur- chaser. In this way tho guileless housewife buys Q shawl for s20 which the rascal gets wholesale on Catharine street for S1O a dozen. To this class of swindlers belongs tho alleged sailor one meets so frequently along the river front who sells stSmuggledn cigars